


a can of cat food a day

by knoxoursavior



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Teenagers, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-09
Updated: 2016-01-10
Packaged: 2018-05-12 20:29:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5679691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knoxoursavior/pseuds/knoxoursavior
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kylo sets Ani’s carrier on the floor and ignores the way his cat hisses disdainfully. He knows better than to try and soothe Ani in public. He’s only going to embarrass himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much to [ninjacatinsanitycrazy](http://ninjacatinsanitycrazy.tumblr.com) for reading this and chatting w me about cats aaah <3

“I don’t need you to accompany me, Mother. I’m seventeen years old, I can handle my own business,” Kylo says, but when he unlocks the car door, his dad just locks it again using the power lock beside the driver’s seat.

“You’re not eve—”

“Of course you can, son,” Leia says, interrupting Han. She turns in her seat and smiles patiently at Kylo. “We’re going to go grocery shopping and come back for you in thirty minutes. Will that be okay?”

Kylo takes a deep breath and counts to ten in his head because Uncle Luke is going to stop teaching him how to perform illusions if he doesn’t make progress with managing his anger.

“That will be okay,” Kylo says eventually. He doesn’t let out any indication that he notices his father, grumpy-faced, and his mother, ever patient, engaged in a staring contest of wills. “Please buy more cat food for Ani and Vader.”

Han eventually gives up and looks away from Leia, sighing. “Would you like anything, son?”

“No, thank you,” Kylo says, and really, he’s proud of how civil he sounds but he’s quite sure he’s reached his courtesy quota of the day. So he grabs Ani’s carrier, unlocks the door again, and makes a run for it.

He doesn’t look back to see if his parents are angrily chasing after him. He hopes they aren’t.

Kylo sits down at the waiting area after exchanging mercifully quick words with the lady at the receiving area. He sets Ani’s carrier on the floor and ignores the way his cat hisses disdainfully. He knows better than to try and soothe Ani in public. He’s only going to embarrass himself.

So, instead, he reaches for his phone, expecting it to be in his pocket, but he realizes that in his haste to get out of the car, he’s actually forgotten it.

Kylo slumps in his seat, crosses his arms over his chest, and resists the urge to kick Ani’s carrier. He doesn’t have that big of a death wish, and besides, Ani hates him enough already. No need to risk further destruction of his shoes, bed sheets, and school papers.

Kylo decides to glare at Ani’s carrier instead, because at least he’ll be doing something besides listening to the bubblegum pop song blaring from the radio, but then he finds that there’s a skinny white cat pawing at the carrier and meowing almost longingly at Ani.

And Ani—well. Kylo thinks Ani is purring shyly but he can’t really be sure because all he’s ever seen Ani do is hiss angrily at him.

“Palpatine, stop that.”

And suddenly, there’s this boy with red hair and a lanky frame wrapping his arms around the cat and taking it away. The cat—apparently named Palpatine, how dreadful—yowls, and yet doesn’t scratch away at its owner like Kylo expects.

Instead, Palpatine curls into a ball on the boy’s lap when he goes back to his seat, just like a good cat who loves their human would. In other words, just like Ani would never do for Kylo.

Kylo stares at this boy who looks so disinterested and severe and disgusted with everything, and _yet_ his cat rubs its head affectionately against his hand, and it just makes Kylo so _angry_.

As if sensing Kylo’s glaring, the boy looks up, mouth pinched in a frown. Kylo looks away, partly in surprise but mostly in awe because that boy can frown really impressively and honestly, he just wants tips now.

He looks up again, opens his mouth to say something, but then the boy is standing up, Palpatine in his arms, and heading towards the receptionist’s desk.

Kylo sighs. He didn’t even hear the name the receptionist lady called out.

 

 

 

After Kylo leaves his doctor’s room later, he goes back to the waiting room and stays until his parents arrive to pick him up. The boy with the red hair isn’t there, though.

He tries not to feel too disappointed.

 

 

 

Two weeks later and it’s Vader’s turn to go to the vet.

Han doesn’t have a hard time letting Kylo go by himself. Leia is patient and supportive as ever. Most importantly, the boy with the red hair is sitting in the waiting room again.

This time, Kylo sits next to him.

“Your cat is disgustingly affectionate,” he says, and as if to prove him wrong, Palpatine takes a swipe at his arm.

“Obviously not,” the boy says, narrowing his eyes as he considers Kylo.

“Cats hate me,” Kylo explains.

“I’d hate you too,” the boy says, sniffing.

“Thank you,” Kylo says. He’s touched.

The boy doesn’t reply right away, but eventually, he nods, as if satisfied with what Kylo has shown. “You’re welcome.”

“My name is Kylo Ren.” And Kylo doesn’t shake hands, of course. He just bangs the back of his head against the wall and glares at the old lady sleeping in the seat across his.

“Really? Your parents named you that?” the boy says, snorting.

Kylo turns to glare at him, because he picked his name himself, okay? It’s better than something so basic and meek as _Ben_.

“Fine.” The boy rolls his eyes which, Kylo now sees, are green. “I’ll call you Ren if you call me Hux.”

For a moment, Kylo considers being difficult, but decides it’s not worth it. He nods.

“Hux, then.”

It’s the start of a mutually beneficial relationship.


	2. keeps the vet away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey comes to see Hux's cats.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this honestly wasn't supposed to have another part but i couldn't resist /o\ i'm marking it as done but i might add more someday?? like finn and poe and phasma?? this is a great au okay i'm attached to it /o/

to Hux: my cousin is coming with me later.

from Hux: And you’re telling me, why?

to Hux: she’s allergic to cats.

to Hux: also there is a 99% chance she’s going to ask for your number and start sending you texts at random hours of the day requesting pictures of your cats.

to Hux: I just want you to be prepared.

from Hux: Are you actually concerned about me, Ren?

to Hux: fuck you I’m gonna give her your number right now SEE HOW YOU LIKE IT

 

 

 

“You know you can just invite this boy to our house, right, son?”

Kylo rolls his eyes. “Mother, please. That would be too personal.”

“Aren’t you friends?” Leia asks, confused.

Kylo sniffs, just slightly offended his mother would even consider the thought. “We’re just acquaintances.”

“You can stay in the living room. You can even stay outside. He doesn’t have to go to your room,” Han says, and for once, Kylo doesn’t want to fling himself out of the car because of something his father said.

Kylo considers this for a moment, and then says, “If you both promise not to show him any of my childhood photos or to tell any embarrassing stories, then I might ask him. And that means Uncle Luke and Uncle Chewie have to behave as well.”

“When have we ever not behaved?” Han says, looking heavenward as if to ask for help. Kylo mostly ignores him.

“We promise,” Leia says, smiling kindly at Kylo, and see, this is why Leia’s his favorite parent. She’s patient and terrifying and entirely respectable, unlike _some people_.

“I promise too!” Rey says, probably just waking up and catching the tail end of the conversation. Kylo really wants to be annoyed by her earnestness, but it's just impossible to hate Rey.

“Thank you,” Kylo says solemnly. “I’ll ask him later.”

“That’s great, dear. Have fun,” Leia says, supportive and well-meaning as always.

“We’ll pick you up in an hour,” Han says, still sounding grumpy, but Kylo doesn’t mind.

Rey gives both Leia and Han a kiss before they go. Kylo doesn’t even say goodbye.

 

 

“Ren,” Hux says, nodding in acknowledgement when he sees Kylo walking in with a carrier in each hand.

“Hux,” Kylo says, nodding in turn. Rey bounds in after him and clutches at the hem of his shirt when she catches up. “This is my cousin. Her name is Rey.”

Hux narrows his eyes in consideration, but it’s obvious he’s putting effort into not frowning. “Hello, Rey.”

“Hello, Hux,” Rey says shyly, peeking from behind Kylo’s legs. Her attention’s immediately caught by the two cats at Hux’s feet. Palpatine is dozing, curled in on himself, while Sidious is sitting and pawing at him.

“These are Palpatine and Sidious,” Hux says, beckoning Rey to come closer. This surprises Kylo, mostly because he never expected Hux, of all people, to be nice to children.

“Don’t get too close,” Kylo tells Rey cautiously. She always gets so miserable when she’s sick.

“I won’t,” Rey promises, and so he lets her go.

“Are they nice kitties?” she asks. She crouches three feet away from Palpatine and Sidious, and Kylo can see her already reaching for her phone.

“They’re nicer than Kylo’s cats,” Hux says matter-of-factly, and of course, Rey just accepts this. Kylo would be offended on behalf of his cats but they _are_ pretty apathetic.

“Can I take pictures of them?” Rey asks, even though she already has almost five hundred pictures of cats on her phone. She loves them so much, but she’s allergic to them. It’s tragic enough that Kylo indulges her whenever she asks to see Vader and Ani.

Hux allows her to take pictures of course, and while Rey’s busy, he takes Vader’s and Ani’s carriers from Kylo and lets both cats out.

“Honestly, Ren, it’s like you don’t even try,” Hux says as he pets Ani and watches Vader prowling underneath the chairs.

“I do try,” Kylo protests, and it’s true. He does try. He leaves out food for Ani and Vader and he tries to wait for them to come to him, but he doesn’t exactly have the seemingly eternal patience of his mother. Eventually, he always goes looking for Vader and Ani around the house and they always just hiss at him and run away.

“Try harder,” Hux says, and then his face is pinched into a frown again. It makes Kylo wonder if he ever smiles.

“My parents want you to come to our house,” Kylo says, mostly because he really wants to change the subject and partly because he just wants to get it out of the way.

“I thought we weren’t at that level of association,” Hux says, a little bit of confusion slipping in his tone.

Kylo shrugs. “They say we’re just troubling the staff here.”

“When have you ever cared?” Hux asks, his eyebrows raised, and now he sounds really confused.

“We can watch movies in the living room. My father has a collection of weird action films,” Kylo says instead of answering. He tries not to fidget, but of course, he only fails. It doesn’t help that Hux takes so long to respond.

When he finally does, he says, “Is your couch nice?”

Kylo blinks. “Yes, it is.”

"Great. I'll come by next weekend," Hux says, and then he's turning away, rushing to Vader, who looks like he's just about to scratch some dog's eye out.

Kylo lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

Next weekend, then.

**Author's Note:**

> hit me up on [tumblr](http://connerkent.tk/)!!


End file.
